Doner Haus, Glasgow
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1.proverbwhen the need for something becomes essential, you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it.Six degrees of separation is the idea that all living things and everything else in the world are six or fewer steps away from each otherSo what connects Kadir Numan in Berlin and Ali Ahmed Aslam in Glasgow, well the link is not as tenuous as you would believe.Mr Ali invented the Chicken Tikka Masala to satisfy a tired and irate Glaswegian bus driver who wanted more sauce on his chicken curry so by adding Campbells Tomato Soup the chicken tikka masala was inventedOn the other hand, Kadir Numan invented the Doner Kebap at his street food stall at the Berlin Train station in 1970 when a hungry Berliner could not sit and eat as he was going to miss the last train to West Germany so Herr Kadir wrapped the meat in some fladenbrot (flatbread) so the serviceman could eat as he ran to his train.So both times a simple act of initiative and common sense had far-reaching consequences.
Mokee Foodwala and I had just finished feeding the hungry peoples and on our way home we felt ravenous, so we decided to pop into Doner Haus and sample the delights of a Berlin-style kebab.
As we were ravenous we decided to share a simple starter of warm flatbread accompanied with humous, olives and Tzatziki.
The Humous was simple yet tangy, the olives were journeymen and the Tzatziki was competent.
We kicked off our kebabfest with the MIxed Chilli Doner, the slivers of lamb doner and chicken schwarma was piled high onto an open flatbread and topped with rocket, red cabbage, Spanish Onion and the house chilli sauce.
I wanted to taste the essence of the kebab so I took off the salad and had the meat with the onions, the meat was handsomely seasoned and was moist and delicious, the flatbread was too bready for me as I eat very little carbs.
Next time I would order my kebab deconstructed.
Mokee Foodwala ordered the ominously yet intriguing named The Mustafa kebab, Again the Chicken Schwarma was spiced with a hint of harissa and mint tasting notes and piled onto a pita and topped with sauteed vegetables and salad and topped with feta cheese.
Both kebabs ware generously proportioned and we struggled eating it all.
We also ordered the Falafel Bites, they were on the dry side and could have done with a wee chilli dip.
The Sweet Potato fries were served piping hot and had a lovely crispy exterior and a nice soft interior.
In Conclusion, Doner Haus was definitely better than the greasy kebabs from the local kebab shop, the doner meat was properly marinated lamb shoulder as opposed to just fat and the toppings were fresh, one could even venture and say that the kebabs were healthy.
The service was attentive, friendly, polite and knowledgeable without being obtrusive.
Halal – Yes (lamb and chicken) however pork and alcohol served albeit segregated.
Food –7 out of 10
Atmosphere – 7 out of 10
service – 8 out of 10
Cleanliness – 8 out of 10
Total score – 30 out of 40